-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- -LSB- Breaking new update 6:32 p.m. ET -RSB-

Belgium defeats USA 2 -1 in extra time as USA comeback failed to gain traction .

-LSB- Breaking new update 6:18 p.m. ET -RSB-

USA fires back with goal . Belgium 2 , USA 1 .

-LSB- Breaking new update 6:12 p.m. ET -RSB-

Belgium scores second goal on USA in extra time .

-LSB- Breaking new update 6:00 p.m. ET -RSB-

Belgium scores on USA to take lead 1 - 0 .

-LSB- Breaking new update 5:51 p.m. ET -RSB-

USA and Belgium enter extra time after two scoreless halves .

-LSB- Breaking new update 5:25 p.m. ET -RSB-

USA and Belgium remain scoreless in the second half .

-LSB- Story previously published 6:39 a.m. -RSB-

OK , so the U.S. lost to Germany , but still squeezed through to the next round . No shame in that . But nothing to be too proud of either .

But the game today ? This is do or die . This is one and done . This is all or nothing .

This is whatever cliche you can think of to rabble rouse your team spirit .

If the U.S.-Germany match was a battle of David and Goliath , this afternoon 's encounter is David and the Dark Horse .

And Belgium ai n't no one trick pony .

The game 's at 4 p.m. ET -- enough time for you to skim through this cheat sheet and become an insta-pundit .

Why you should care

It 's about time soccer caught on in the U.S.

And in order for that to happen , Americans need a team they can really rally behind .

If the boys can beat Belgium , it 's off to the quarter finals of the World Cup . The last time the men 's team did that was in 2002 . -LRB- They lost to Germany . -RRB-

The expectations are enormous . When was the last time you saw the country unite behind one cause , gather in front of massive TV screens , and collectively bellow , `` I believe that we will win '' ?

At home , 25 million people watched the USA nearly slay Portugal last week . Twenty five million ! That 's more than what the NBA finals or the baseball World Series averaged .

In Brazil , Americans are second only to the host nation in the number of tickets bought .

Online , Twitter and Facebook are blowing up .

Soccer , you see , is starting to stir the soul of America .

`` The country is paying attention in a way that it 's never done before , and we have a chance to make some history , '' said Sunil Gulati , the U.S. Soccer Federation president .

It 'd be a shame if the plucky Yanks lost to Belgium , killing the momentum .

How America won the 2014 World Cup

How it has played out before

When the U.S. last played Belgium at the World Cup , it beat them 3-0 . But that was 84 years ago -- in 1930 ! More recently , the teams played two `` friendlies '' -LRB- matches that are n't part of a tournament -RRB- . The U.S. lost both .

Why you should worry

You do n't hear Belgium mentioned in the same breath as soccer powerhouses like Brazil , Argentina or Germany .

That 's because it is n't .

It plays a boring brand of soccer . Cautious . Tentative . Patient .

'' I am here to be a realist , '' their coach , Marc Wilmots , says . `` I am not here to please the fans in the stands . ''

But Belgium wins games .

It qualified for the World Cup , winning eight out of 10 games . -LRB- It drew the other two . -RRB- At the tournament , it 's won all three of its games , conceding only one goal .

Another reason : The Red Devils are young and hungry . Eleven of their players are in the prestigious English Premier League . Four of the Americans play there . Also , Belgium has way too many strong goal-scorers .

Glossary for the budding American World Cup fan

Why you should n't worry

Un : The Belgians are banged up .

Captain Vincent Kompany ca n't seem to shake a nagging groin injury . So he 's iffy for the game .

Kompany is one of Belgium 's key defenders . A second starting defender has a hamstring strain .

Without those two , the goal scoring potential increases for the U.S.

And they 're not the only ones battling injury . There 's one guy with a broken leg , another with a groin strain , another with muscle tightness .

Deux : Jozy Altidore will be back for the U.S. . Since he was sidelined with a hamstring injury in the U.S opener against Ghana , Clint Dempsey has had to go it alone as the main goal scorer . Altidore returns to the potent partnership .

Trois : There 's something to be said for experience . And the U.S. has four players who are World Cup veterans -LRB- Howard , Dempsey , DaMarcus Beasley and Michael Bradley . -RRB- They know how to deal with the pressures of competing on soccer 's biggest stage . The Belgians ? The last time they were at a World Cup was 14 years ago .

`` We have absolutely no fear at all , '' U.S. Coach Jurgen Klinsmann said . `` We believe we have built a foundation in our team that we are able to beat them , and we 're looking forward to it . ''

What you should ignore

The fact that the referee is Algerian . Ever since FIFA picked Djamei Haimoudi for the match , the comments have poured in : `` We 're toast . '' Why ? Because the USA knocked Algeria out of the 2010 World Cup with a 1-0 victory .

Klinsmann 's got a second reason : He seems to think that the fact that the ref speaks French gives the Belgians an edge .

`` Is it a good feeling ? No , '' he said . `` He 's able to speak French with their players on the field , not with us . And it 's the country that we beat in the last second of the last World Cup . ''

Will Haimoudi hold a grudge ? Hogwash .

He 's refereed the Netherlands-Australia game and the England-Costa Rica game without complaints from fans or critics about wrong calls .

`` It is looking for excuses ahead of the match , '' Belgian coach Wilmots said .

What the U.S. should do

Attack , attack , attack ! In the last three games , the boys attacked just 72 times , says FIFA . You know where that places the USA among the 32 teams at the World Cup ? Dead last !

Today , the natural tendency of the team might be to hunker down , ward off the inevitable Belgian onslaught , and make a run for the goal when chances open up .

Wrong .

This is n't the group round . You lose here , you 're out .

All of Belgium 's goals have come in the last 20 minutes of games , making it hard for the opposing team to equalize .

So the U.S. needs to go at it guns blazing . Yes , the Red Devils have won their World Cup games so far , but they never quite dominated . Overwhelm them .

What you should say

Here are some fun facts to impress your buddies at your soccer watching party :

Fun fact # 1 : Before he became Belgium 's coach , Marc Wilmots served in the country 's senate for two years .

Fun fact # 2 : Belgium 's most notable contribution to cinema is Jean-Claude Van Damme .

Fun fact # 3 : Waffle House is calling for a ban on Belgian waffles . That 's not even a Belgian invention . Oof !

Fun fact # 4 : Brussels sprouts actually do get their name from the Belgian capital .

Fun fact # 5 : Clint Dempsey has another goal : to make it as rapper Deuce . His 13-track album , `` The Redux , '' comes out after the World Cup .

Who will win

The folks at FiveThirtyEight give the U.S. a 42 % chance of winning .

The Belgian coach pegs his team 's chances at 50-50 .

The U.S. quotes Abraham Lincoln : `` The best way to predict your future is to create it . ''

Off the field : The men of the USMNT

FIFA : U.S. World Cup fans most active online

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The U.S. last played Belgium in a World Cup game in 1930

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Good news for U.S. : the Belgians are banged up

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Bad news for U.S. : the Belgians win games